Frame chock for automotive vehicles



Nov. 12, 1935. H. WALKER ET AL 2,020,489

FRAME CHOCK FOR AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLES Filed March 6, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 zgi INVENTORS ATTO 1; YS.

Nov. 12, 1935. H. WALKER El AL FRAME CHOCK FOR AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLES Filed March 6, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 A TTOEEYS.

, 7 INVENTORS MWNW Nov. 12, 1935. H. WALKER El AL FRAME CHOCK FOR AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLES Filed March 6, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 "Imam V N W INVENTORS Patented Nov. 12, 1935 i Q 7 v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7' FRAME 011001; FOR AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLES Hubert Walker, Elmira, N. Y., and Hermann Boysen, Philadelphia, Pa., assignors to American La France and Foamite Corporation, a corporation of New York Application March 6, 1931, Serial No. 520,496

'7 Claims. (Cl. 280-106) The invention relates generally to automotive According to our invention the chock mechafire trucks and like vehicles designed to transnism is applied as a permanent fixture to the port and serve as a base for the manipulation of vehicle between sprung and unsprung parts aerial ladders or other heavy apparatus and parthereof, as between a frame member 5, which is ticularly concerns the chocking or stabilizing of one of the side girders of the chassis, and the 5 the chassis frame of the truck to prevent yielding rear axle 6, and is arranged for quick operation of the same, on its supporting springs, when the at any time to lock such parts against relative truck is stationary and the apparatus on it is movement, regardless of their relative position at in use. the moment.

One of the objects of the invention is the im- In the preferred form, which is that illustrated, 10 provement of mechanism for this purpose wherethe ch k mpri a br c bar r ru I, tby the sprung and the unsprung members of tached to and depending from-the side frame the vehicle may be locked against the movement m m d n m y f to Slide D n normally permitted by the vehicle springs, withdown, plunger-fashion, in a suitable guide carout regard to the position or degree of compresried by the aide ASSOOiated With Said guide 15 sion to which the latter may at the time be subis a looking clamping mechanism Operable t0 jected, and further objects and advantages lock the ba against movement in its guide, theretouching the safety and convenience of operay bracing the Vehicle frame making it ri id tion of the improved chock and other features With the axle. .Two such chocks are pr f b y thereof will appear from the following descripprovided, one on h Side Of the r m I 20 tion and the accompanying drawings, in which may be found more convenient with certain units the invention is shown applied to an aerial ladder to attach the b a e b to e a le a d mount truck. the guide and clamping mechanism on the frame Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly sectioned on th but it will be understood that the function will line I -I of Fig. 7 of o m h of a extensionbe the same in either event, one end of the brace 25 ladder fire truck as i necessary t an underbarbeing attached to one of the parts and its standing of the invention; other end loosely engaged at all times with the Fig. 2 is an enlarged rear elevation, partially Other P sectioned, of the chock on the left-hand side of Referring to Wh S ows the brace bar the chassis; in detail, it will be seen that its upper end is 30 Figs. 3 and, 4 are s etio ai ie on t lines constituted as a socket 9 to receive the head It] III-III and IVIV respectively of Fig. 2; of a ball stud H, the latter supported by bracket Fig. 5 is a section on the lines v v of Fig. 1, I? on the f a m mbe v 5- By his m ans or showing the operating handle and certain of the any other Suitable universal connection the control connections; with the appropriate coacting elements below de- 35 Fig. 6 is a plan of the e ntr 1 connections scribed, is free to accommodate the lateral or tween the operating handle on the frame chocks, o u wa o e frame and bo Wh l and thetruckis in motion. The inner face of bar Fig. 7 is a rear elevation of the two chocks, and 1 is provided With r u at s 01' teeth I3. their common operating shaft. Theguide for the brace bar (shown in detail. 40

In Fig. 1 will be recognized the body 1 and rear in Fig 2, and Comprises a bushing the wheel 2 of a, type of truck in common use for bar sliding in the vertical bore l5 thereof. In transporting aerial ladder and like apparatus, t e horizontal bore N5 of the bushin is a bolt the turntable support for which is generally indime b h d of which dja t he bar) cated by the numeral 3. The weight of h is also corrugated or toothed as indicated at I8 45 ladders when elevated and specially when ex-. 110 fit e b While the bo t i slid-able in the tended laterally of the truck makes it desirable bushing, the teeth 0 e end of the former that their base, i. e. the turntable support, which are maintained in constant Parallel register W th is attached to or part of the sprung truck frame, the teeth I3 011 the brace bar y y i9 011 he be quite rigid and to that end the provision is bolt engaging a Sp e 0 in the bushing (Fig. 4). 50 made for supporting the frame by rigid a s On the head of bolt I! is a face cam 22 which additional to or independent of vehicle springs is d i Contact with a like cam 23 by sp n 4, which otherwise, by yielding under the weight teeth being normally held Out Of a of the extended ladders make the latter diflicult ment with'teeth l3 by the spr and returned of control and often unsafe to use. to that position by it whenever permitted by 66 ably located outside of the cam 23. Cam 23, which is the operating cam, is formed on the end. of a transverse shaft journaled in a bearing 25 which is bolted to a bracket 21, in turn bolted to rear axle 6. The transmission of the truck illustrated being of the chain-drive type, axle 6 is shown as of I-beam section. The contour of cams 22 and 23 is such that when the latter is rotated, bolt I1 is forced into the bushing, and against the brace bar and thereby the frame is locked against movement;

relatively to the axle. The interlockingroi the teeth l3 and !8 makes the connection exception:v ally secure.

To accommodate the lateral and longitudinal sway of the frame when the chock is not in use and the vehicle is in motion, bushing I4 is likewise mounted for universal movement relatively to the axle. reduced ends 28 of the bushing are journaled in the arms 29 of a yoke, the stem 30 of which swivelled in bracket 21 (Fig. 4),. Since the .latral movement of the lower end of the brace bar due to the swaying of the frame is only slight, such relative movement as occurs between the cams 22 and 23 is not sufficient to move the bolt the. distance necessary to bring its teeth 18 into engagement with the bar teeth l3.

To facilitate assembly, the reduced ends 23 of the bushing M are flattened off on each s ide, as indicated at 3| (Fig. 4) so that the bushing may be passed between the flats 32 on the arins of the yoke and, when turned through ninety degrees and the brace bar passed through it, the bushing is locked against withdrawal.

When two chocks are provided, as ordinarily required, the shaft 25 extends across the vehicle. frame, terminating in a like cam and associated with co-operating cam, bolt, brace bar and so forth, identical with those already described, so that the operation of both chocks simply requires the rotation of shaft 25 (Fig. 7 by its operating arm which, as presently described, is intermediate them. The use of the single operating shaft 25 with its cam on each end serves to balance the end thrust resulting from the camming action on the two bolts and, since the latter are engage.- able with the bars at any point throughout their toothed portions, the chocks are operable in any relative positions of the frame and axle that the existing load may determine. As shown in the drawings the toothed portions of the bars may extend substantially throughout their length, in which event it is immaterial to the operation of the device whether ornot the frame is loaded down with additional ladders or other apparatus, and likewise, whether or not the frame is more heavily loaded on one side than the other, as might be the case if the operator should forget to chock the frame until after the ladder had started upwards. V

As a matter of convenience in operating the chocks and to avoid the danger of accident incident to the operator getting underneath the truck or near the wheels, the control is preferframe in some readily accessible position and since, as pointed out above, the operation of the chocks simply requires the rotation of shaft 25, it will be apparent that this can be readily accomplished and in a variety of ways.

In the illustrated form a common control handle 33 for the two chocks is shown (Fig. 1) located above the running board 34 immediately accessible to the operator descending from or ascending to the seat 35.

In the construction illustrated;the"

The handle normally hangs down, parallel with the splash apron, from a bracket 36 and the chocks are brought into operation by swinging the handle up into a horizontal position where it extends out over the running board and serves as a visual reminder to the operator to release the chocks before starting up the truck again.

The operating connections between the handle and the chocks are illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 in which it will be seen that through link 31 the handle actuates a push rod 38 which operates in a bearing in bracket 36. The inner end of rod 38, through link 39 and crank 49 operates a vertical shaft M on the lower end of which is a crank 42 which, through rods 43, 44, 45 is tied to lever 46 on the cross shaft 25. On raising handle 33 shaft 25 is thus rotated.

handle end its associated connections are held in operative position by the pawl and ratchet 41, 48 (Fig. 4) on the bracket 36. To release the chocks, pawl 41 is pulled out of its ratchet by hand-grip 49 and as the handle is lowered springs 24 withdraw the bolts, and the brace bars are then free to reciprocate in their guides under the normal action of the vehicle springs 4.

We claim:

1. In a truck having a rear axle, a chassis frame member and a spring supporting the same on the axle, a bar depending from said member and connected therewith by a universal joint, 9. guide for the lower part of the bar carried by the axle and adapted for universal movement relatively thereto, said bar normally free to reciprocate in said guide in accordance with the yield of said spring, and a bolt associated with said guide and operable to lock the bar therein.

2. In an automotive truck chassis, a pair of chocks located between sprung and unsprung parts thereof, one on each side, including a pair of opposed sliding bolts for clamping said parts against relative movement and means located between and in balanced thrust relation to said bolts operable to force the same apart into clamping position.

3. In a truck having a brace bar extending beween sprung and unsprung chassis parts thereof for the purpose described and connected with one of said parts by a universal joint, a guide for the other end of the bar connected to the other of said parts and adapted for universal move ment relatively thereto, and means associated with said guide operable to lock the bar against movement therein.

4. In a truck having a brace bar extending between sprung and unsprung chassis parts thereof and connected to one of them, a guide for the bar connected to the other of said parts by a universal joint, a locking bolt for the bar mounted in said guide in predetermined relation to the bar and bolt operating means mounted independently of the bolt on said guide-supporting part.

5. In a truck having a pair of brace bars extending between sprung and unsprung parts of the chassis, one at each side thereof and each attached to. one of said parts, and guides for said bars attached to the other of said parts and freely accommodating the bars to relative movement. of said parts during normal running of the truck, the combination'therewith of slidingbolt members mounted in axial alignment, one in each of said guides, and means for moving them tqward and from each other into and out of lecking en; gagement each with its adjacent brace bar.

6. In a truck having a pair of brace bars ex;

tending between sprung and unsprung parts of the chassis, one at each sidethereof and each attached to one of said parts, and guides for said bars attached to the other of said parts and freely accommodating the bars to relative movement of said parts during normal running of the truck, the combination therewith of sliding bolt members mounted in axial alignment, one in each of said guides, and cam means intermediate and engaging the adjacent ends of said bolts and 0perable to move the latter into locking engagement with their adjacent brace bars.

7. In a truck having a pair of brace bars extending between sprung and unsprung parts of the chassis, one at each side thereof and each attached to one of said parts, and guides for said bars attached to the other of said parts and freely accommodating the bars to relative movement of said parts during normal running of the truck, the combination therewith of sliding bolt members mounted in axial alignment, one in each of said guides, an operating shaft mounted between and coaxially with said members, the opposite ends of said shaft having cam surfaces engaging the adjacent bolt members, whereby rotation of said shaft simultaneously thrusts both bolt members into locking engagement with their respective brace bars.

HERMANN BOYSEN. HUBERT WALKER. 

